The present inventions are directed to robotic solid harvesting methods and systems. The manipulation harvesting science embodied in the methods and devices of the present inventions are exemplified in protein crystal harvesting.
The processes for producing protein crystals in the characterization of the proteins is a well developed science. The present processes are all very labor intensive and tedious to carry out. There is considerable art involved by the persons capturing the crystals produced and carrying out the tasks of identifying a crystal to harvest. The proteins are crystalized in a mother liquor and then manually removed from the mother liquor. The harvested crystal is then characterized by x-ray diffraction.
A full disclosure of the present methods used to prepare and isolate protein crystals are set forth in a book written by Ducan E. McRee, xe2x80x9cPractical Protein Crystallographyxe2x80x9d, Acedemic Press Inc., San Diego, Calif., 1993. What is made clear is that the present methods employed are done by hand on the bench with much skill. The art or skill necessary is due to the fragile nature of the protein crystals; first, in crystallizing the protein; second, in removing the crystal from the mother liquor or liquid; and then, in handling the crystal for the crystallography techniques carried out on the protein to fully characterize the protein.
It is the object of the present inventions to utilize robotic technologies to enable the harvesting and storing of solids from liquids. Robotic techniques allow the harvesting of solids to be done quicker and more easily by those persons presently carrying out such processes. The robotic techniques of the present invention solves the three dimensional problems of the havesting or capturing of the solids and resolves the harvesting to a one dimensional solution. The present invention is illustrated by the harvesting of solid protein crystals from mother liquors. The process permits the inspection of the crystal to be certain that a suitable crystal is harvested for the steps of flash freezing and x-ray diffraction. The present invention also addresses the harvesting of a crystal and the immediate flash freezing of the crystal to make the crystal more robust to the x-ray diffraction crystallography techniques that are carried out on the crystal.
The present invention is directed to the method and apparatus for the robotic harvesting of solids, especially small solids. Further, the present invention is directed to a fluid/solid management system that automates the task of solid harvesting. Still further, the present invention is directed to devices to harvest and store the solid as illustrated by protein crystals.